An Emmy No Black Actress Has Ever Won

When the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards nominees were announced, hopes were high that an African-American actress — in this case Kerry Washington, star of the red hot series “Scandal” — would take home the coveted trophy.It had never happened before, and it didn’t happen that night, Sunday, Sept. 22, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.The category in question is Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Only one Black actress has ever even been nominated — Cicely Tyson for her work during the 1994-95 season of “Sweet Justice,” the drama series that aired on NBC.The first Black actress to ever be nominated in that category was Debbie Allen, one of the stars of the eighties series “Fame.” Allen was, in fact, nominated four years in a row, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985. However, she didn’t win.Next up was Alfre Woodard (“St. Elsewhere”), followed by Regina Taylor (two consecutive nominations for “I’ll Fly Away”) and then Tyson.